Elections in Ghana are often intense, but the period between the declaration of results and the actual handing over of power can be just as turbulent.

According to Minister of State for Government Communication, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, this transition period creates a dangerous vacuum that fuels post-election violence.

Speaking on The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV, Kwakye Ofosu highlighted how the delay in officially transferring power leaves room for party loyalists to take matters into their own hands.

“The party that has won is not in charge, so, the incoming president can’t authorise anything to be done. Yes, he has been given security briefings but that is just about it.

The outgoing government is crestfallen and practically loses interest in governance beyond going through the motions until they hand over,” he explained.

This uncertainty, he noted, creates an opportunity for some party activists to seek revenge, leading to violent clashes and politically motivated attacks.

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“There’s a lacuna, a gap, which is then exploited by the party activists who think that they were wronged in the past. And so ought to wreak vengeance on their opponents,” he added.

Kwakye Ofosu believes a fundamental change is necessary. “I think that a proposed solution would be to shorten the transition period so that the new government can take over quickly and accept control over security,” he suggested.

However, he cautioned against viewing post-election violence as a mere one-off issue, stressing that it has become ingrained in Ghana’s electoral culture.

“I will not endorse that in any way, shape, or form. The way to address it in my view is not just to view it as a transient occurrence. It is a sub-culture. It has been ingrained, it has become part of our electoral system so let us adopt a root-and-branch approach to address it,” he urged.

His call aligns with long-standing concerns about Ghana’s political transition framework. The current arrangement, which allows for a nearly one-month period between election results and the swearing-in of a new president, has often been criticized for creating uncertainty.

“We need to tighten the systems and processes that we use to manage the transition. There is too much of a gap that needs to be plugged. If you do that, it will not happen under the NDC, it will not happen under the NPP,” he emphasized.

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